Siam Blue Vanda flung his way into the black books with a pulsating debut win in the $85,000 Restricted Maiden race over 1100m on Sunday.
Michael Clements’ assistant-trainer Michael White said the Echoes Of Heaven three-year-old did show some positive signs on the training tracks, but still thought he might need the run first-up, especially with a stablemate and fellow newcomer who was a lot more favoured to get off the mark on the back of his brilliant trial form - Golden Years.
The race seemed to be going to script when Golden Years ($8 favourite) drew on level terms with race-leader Good Luck Charm (Olivier Placais) - who is also raced by the Thai-owned Falcon Racing Stable, but is prepared by Alwin Tan – at the top of the straight, but they had not reckoned with another Thai runner spoiling the party.
Racing in the blue, red and white colours of the Pupetch Racing Stable, Siam Blue Vanda (Glen Boss, $33) easily despatched the Falcon pair with a sizzling run on the outside, racing away to a 4 ¾-length win from Golden Years.
Good Luck Charm weakened in the run home to finish third separated by an identical margin. The winning time was 1min 5.9secs for the 1100m on the Polytrack.
“He’s still quite green and physically still a bit light, but he’s a lovely horse around the stables,” said White.
“I thought Golden Years would be hard to beat and Siam Blue Vanda would still run a good race, but I was proven wrong. I’d like to be proven wrong more often.
“The quick tempo upfront played into his hands. He ran on very well and looks like a nice horse for the future, but we won’t rush him.
“But he is most definitely the sort who will get better over more ground.”
Clements is of course known for having prepared another son of Echoes Of Heaven (then a virtual unknown among stallions) to the highest accolades last year, Countofmontecristo who after his thumping debut win, went on to land the champion three-year-old title.
The win incidentally gave Boss - his 28th win - a much-needed fillip after having gone missing from the winner’s circle for more than two months. Desert Fox was his last winner on June 17.
